Municipal News & Jobs

A bill on the brink of becoming law in Kansas would incentivize local cooperation with federal immigration authorities and make it a crime to come within 25 feet of a first responder — including an ICE agent — after being ordered to back up. The bill that lawmakers sent to Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk last week would remove the requirement that sheriff’s offices obtain county commission approval before entering into agreements with ICE. That provision was bundled with another piece of legislation that First Amendment advocates warn would give law enforcement officers broad, subjective power to arrest people whom they deem to be distracting them from carrying out their duties. ICE agents themselves would not be allowed to arrest people simply for approaching them under the proposed statute. Only state and local law enforcement officers could enforce the buffer zone. But the legislation is careful to identify federal officers of any agency as first responders — a definition that would be a first in Kansas law.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

A little more than a year after a $450 million bond issue narrowly failed at the polls, Wichita Public Schools said Tuesday that administrators were informally recommending the school board schedule a November bond vote. The district announced a series of community feedback sessions to better assess what parents and residents want to see improved in Wichita schools. The push to revive a bond issue – which the board will consider at its June meeting – comes as officials say a long list of facility needs continues to create problems for the district. Ahead of the 2025 vote, the district cited $1.2 billion in deferred maintenance, and earlier this month the Chester Lewis Academic Learning Center was shuttered before its planned closing date because of structural damage.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

Along Andover Road, the Andover Historical Museum holds a treasure trove of history. “I don’t think there’s a lot of people that even know how deep our roots are,” said Tricia Lee, president of the museum. “I’ve been finding lots of stuff in the 1800s, like boxing was a big thing here.” The museum has been around for decades, and the new board wants to start a new chapter. “Rebuild it and make this an official museum with real exhibits in it,” Lee said. Over the last year, volunteers have gone through each piece inside.
Read more: KSN-TV

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

On Friday evening, the Kansas Legislature passed S Sub HB 2745 that allows voters (through a protest petition signed by 10% of voters) to effectively veto a budget with property taxes increased beyond the CPI (inflation index), or 3%, whichever is lower.

If not vetoed by the Governor, a number of financial risks could arise for local governments, including …

• Cumulative Revenue Erosion: Because the 3% cap acts as a bottleneck during years of high inflation (it was 8.0% in 2022), property tax revenue could quickly fall behind actual costs, creating a permanent ever-growing revenue gap.
• Loss of the “Gold Standard” in Municipal Bonding: The bill restricts the ability of local governments to issue unlimited tax general obligation (ULTGO) bonds backed by the issuer’s authority to levy property taxes as necessary in order to ensure repayment of principal and interest due in-full and on-time.
• Bond Rating Downgrades: The bill could trigger downgrades of municipal bond ratings, making it harder for cities and counties to secure affordable financing for infrastructure and other critical projects.
• Higher Debt Service Costs: The loss of ULTGO authority would result in higher interest rates on future borrowing, increasing long-term debt service costs and placing additional strain on already limited local budgets.
• Difficulty Selling Debt: With the loss of ULTGO authority, selling debt at reasonable interest rates may become difficult, if not impossible (especially for small and medium sized cities) leading to increased borrowing costs and limited access to capital markets.
• Existing Debt: Existing obligations that depend on planned future tax revenue could require cuts to essential services, such as police, fire, or public works.
• Mid-Stream Project Terminations: Projects that are currently underway but not yet fully bonded could be forced to stop, resulting in “half-completed” infrastructure and wasted investments if future funds dry up.
• Canceled Planned Projects: Any planned projects may have to be canceled if bond funding can no longer be secured, stalling community development and improvements.
• Returned Grants: Grants already awarded to local governments might need to be returned if they require a local funding match that is no longer feasible.
• Loss of Economic Development and Housing Opportunities: Without access to financing, cities may be unable to support or attract new businesses and housing development, undermining job creation, housing availability, and local economic growth.

If the Governor does veto this bill, the Legislature still could attempt an override or additional legislation for the remainder of the 2026 session.

To discuss specific projects or concerns, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor.

There’s a clean energy ordinance that could change soon. There’s the city’s strategic plan, which will soon get an update. There are two new city commissioners, a sustainability department with just a $4,000 operating budget for this year, and multiple other departments doing their own environmental work.
Read more: LJWorld

Prices are up for rural grocers, margins are thin, staff are hard to find and transportation costs are higher for small-town stores. Communities across Kansas have been attempting new ways to fill in the grocery gaps. But some of those solutions are coming up short.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The Garden City Commission packet is getting a monthly financial report once again. Jared Kuhlmann, Garden City Finance Director, presented and explained the new, monthly Financial Report that they will provide to the Commission’s meeting packets at its regular meeting on March 17. Kuhlmann said a few years ago a Financial Report was included in every other meeting’s packet, but they went away from that when they got Tyler Software, which they use for tracking finances. But they felt it was prudent, after looking at the performance metrics, to bring it back.
Read more: Garden City Telegram

Manhattan city commissioners on Tuesday weighed their options on addressing street conditions and related funding decisions. Pavement Condition Index values provide a rating of pavement conditions and integrity through a 0-100 range. Manhattan city roadways were generally found to be in fair condition, averaging a 60 rating. City engineer and public works director Brian Johnson said the city’s current “backlog” of road maintenance has reached 18%, meaning those roads require full or partial reconstruction.
Read more: News Radio KMAN

Child Care Aware of Kansas has recognized the Ellis County Child Care Task Force as a Child Care Community Champion. This award honors the Task Force’s “outstanding dedication and commitment to strengthening local child care systems.” This recognition is a part of the Child Care Friendly Communities initiative, a statewide program that uplifts community-led efforts to make child care accessible, sustainable, and supportive for Kansas families and providers.
Read more: Hays Daily News

Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill (HB) 2433 into law on Friday March 20, 2026. Following passage by both the Kansas House and Senate, HB2433 (sponsored by Kansas Representative Barbara Wasinger), the bill was presented to the Governor on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. State control of the water appropriation/transfer process is now spelled out in detail, placing authority over water transfers and appropriations with the State’s Chief Engineer and the Water Transfer Hearing Panel, except for domestic use. This means counties may not impose their own restrictions, fees or license/permitting/zoning requirements for water transfers. The newly enacted law applies both retroactively and prospectively, which means that any existing county resolutions which conflict with State authority (such as those enacted by Edwards County) are nullified.
Read more: Hays Daily News

As Johnson County residents face higher property taxes, a Shawnee man has created a website to help them appeal their property’s valuation. Even as most local governments have kept a flat mill levy for this year, many homeowners still face an increase in their property tax bills, reflective of the ever-rising home values across nearly all of Johnson County. That’s why Shawnee resident Ben Jacobi wanted to figure out a way to provide residents of Johnson and Wyandotte counties some relief. “I see the conversations dominating these neighborhood groups that I’m in on Facebook. People are very emotional, they’re very upset. So you combine that with the fact that a lot of people just don’t like navigating (the) government… I figured there’s got to be a way to make it easier,” he said. In his free time during the past two months, Jacobi used his 25 years of software development experience and love of crunching numbers to create TaxEquity. With assistance from real estate agent Doug Pearce, the site helps property owners gauge if their property value may be calculated too high and, if so, helps them appeal it.
Read more: Johnson County Post

Designs revealed for a new bike-centric park in Shawnee show a new area aimed at attracting cyclists of all ages. At the Shawnee Council Committee meeting on Monday, the design firm Vireo presented its master plan for the 170-acre Rail Creek Park, a proposed park in the city. Plans for the park include bike pump tracks, a bike playground, a kids playground, restroom building and shade structure. It would also give the Donderdag! Youth Cyclocross program a new place to ride with more space.
Read more: Johnson County Post

A new Kansas law banning cell phones and other electronic devices in schools is expected to cost local districts significant money and staff time because of a requirement that the devices be securely stored in a place inaccessible to students, say officials at some Johnson County school districts. Most local schools’ policies currently in effect allow students to keep devices in backpacks or lockers, as long as they don’t use them during class time. That makes the costs and management of the new storage requirement the biggest question mark about the new law, district officials said.
Read more: Johnson County Post

U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Michael Bennet have introduced the bipartisan Rural Hospital Revitalization Act to strengthen rural hospitals across the country. The legislation would provide zero-interest loans through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities Direct Loan Program, supporting new construction and renovations of existing hospital facilities to improve access to essential health care services. To qualify, hospitals must be in counties with fewer than 20,000 residents, located at least 35 miles from the nearest hospital (or 15 miles in mountainous or limited-access areas), or be designated as a Critical Access Hospital or Rural Emergency Hospital. Applicants must also demonstrate financial stability and need.
Read more: KCLY Radio

It’s hard for Cara Cain to decide what she will miss most. She’s the manager at Grand Avenue Market, a local nonprofit grocery store opened in 2021 that is set to close this month. Maybe it will be the customers and interacting with locals as they stop by. Or maybe her coworkers she has grown close to. Later, she mentions the special produce she has ordered for customers, like cactus, and thinks she will miss having access to the grocery store herself. “Unfortunately, there was just no other options right now. we’re really hoping a miracle happens because it’s been really helpful to the community as a whole,” Cain said. Prices are up for rural grocers, margins are thin, staff are hard to find and transportation costs are higher for small-town stores. Communities across Kansas have been attempting new ways to fill in the grocery gaps. But some of those solutions are coming up short. More than 30 percent of Kansas counties are struggling to keep their grocery stores open and stocked, creating so-called “food deserts.”
Read more: KLC Journal